Exclusive
by Darkeyes92
Summary: She often asked herself the question; why shouldn't she date anyone? Written for kitsune13's birthday on the 10th May, I know I've already posted it on LJ, but FFn was being a numptee and wouldn't let me post it on her actual birthday, so here it is now.


**Title:** Exclusive

**Author:** lr_darkeyes92

**Fandom:** Final Fantasy 7 (Game time)

**Pairing:** Cloud/Tifa

**Rating:** K

**Summary:** She often asked herself the question; why shouldn't she date anyone?

**Disclaimer:** FF7, and FF7 Advent Children belong to their prospective owners. Not me. But you knew that already, right.

**A/N:** The summary sucks, but I'm not good with summarising things anyhow, I've come to terms with that (this is why my Personal Statement sucked so much). Anyhow, I wrote this for kitsune13's birthday (which FYI just happens to be my birthday too).

To kitsune13 Happy Birthday love, a bit of Cloti fluff just for you (I have never written it before, so you can appreciate the lengths I have gone to, to do this thing)

Just as an aside note, I have never played the game, I watched ACC, and I LOVED Cloti, mainly because I have all kinds of mad love for Tifa and all her badassness (WHO BACKHANDS A PEW?). So if I'm not adhering to the game canon, please feel free to pretend that I did.

Rambling aside, there is an actual story here. Enjoy

_Much Love_

_Darkeyes xx_

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><p><strong>Exclusive<strong>

She often asked herself the question; why shouldn't she date anyone? And for the life of her, Tifa could not find the answer to that question.

When she was fifteen, it was easy to put off dating, and pleasantly decline, after all, she was still a child. But as the years went by, and especially spending the latter part of them working as a barmaid in the Midgar Slums, it wasn't easy to find ways to say no without hurting feelings, because generally, no wasn't a word that they liked to hear in Midgar.

Sometimes she'd tell them that she was celibate. Not as an answer to a direct question, she'd just slip it into conversation, and watch with a cunning grin as the men slowly retracted themselves from her presence. Of course that didn't work on everyone, some of them were persistent, trying to make her believe that they wanted a celibate relationship based on more than sex… it was so hard not to laugh at that one, especially when Jessie was snickering over it on the other side of the bar.

To some she told them that she was not interested in men. Most of them believed her. Perhaps they thought it wasn't unreasonable for a girl to be attracted to her. These ones she'd shrug off and re-fill their drinks. They were the ones who listened to her, and not her legs.

But then there were some that just couldn't hear. Old Mr Easley, from back in Nibelhiem was a traditional man (by traditional, Tifa really meant old and pruned, but she would never ever say something like that). He always said to his children, and his grandchildren, and his great-grandchildren

"If you can't hear, you must feel!"

Tifa applied this psychology to certain members of the male sex. See those you didn't like no got the celibacy, and if they persevered through that they got the lesbianism, and if they went even further past that, they got the "I'm now ignoring you so that I can get on with my work without spilling any drinks… or blood" face. All this Tifa could abide, as long as they maintained the cardinal rule

_Look, but don't touch._

Most had learned when a man went home practically carrying his arm, that if a hand lands anywhere inappropriate on Tifa Lockhart, it's going to get broken.

But what all the patrons wondered was why? Why wouldn't Tifa even consider a serious relationship with anyone? The question to which they never got the answer, not at least until a stranger walked into the bar with a sword on his back, that looked ready to knock of a few caps.

His appearance had flooded in feelings, that she was sure had been long since buried so deep, she would never find them. The shock that he was alive, the hurt that he hadn't cared enough to contact her, to come and find her and protect her, the fear that he wasn't really there, and she was imagining things again, the anger that he had allowed so many years to pass by without her seeing him. And finally the seething confusion as to what it was about this snarky, rude, and sullen guy that had her so hooked.

Then he caught her eye. His eyes, bright blue and green, seemed to glow… just like a SOLDIER, and as he looked at her across the bar, remaining in the doorway. His eyes widened, so slightly she wasn't even sure it happened. And then his eyes softened, and his face softened, and he didn't look so tired and worn. No indeed, he looked…

He looked relieved. He looked happy. He looked scared, and shy, and just like that young boy who had told her that he was going to go away and be a hero…

… The same boy who told her he would come back to be her hero.

She smiled; a real eye glittering, heart fluttering smile, as he stepped into the bar. He had come back… he was going to be her hero. And she believed him.

That was when she realised that in her heart she always knew why she hadn't dated anyone else. He was the only one, had been for too long for her to forget now. There was no one else for her. Somewhere in her reaction, she managed to whisper his name.

"Cloud…"

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><p><em>Hope everyone enjoyed, <em>

_Much Love!_

_Darkeyes xxx_


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